Effects of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors on renal risk factors in patients with abnormal glucose metabolism: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Aims Several trials have assessed the antihyperglycemic effects of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2Is) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We conducted a quantitative analysis to assess the effects of SGLT2Is on renal risk factors in patients with abnormal glucose metabolism. Materials and methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified by searching the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases published before September 30, 2022. The intervention group received SGLT2Is as monotherapy or add-on treatment, and the control group received placebos, standard care, or active control. Risk of bias assessment was performed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. Meta-analysis was performed on studies with abnormal glucose metabolism populations and studies using the weighted mean differences (WMDs) as the measure of the effect size. Clinical trials providing changes in serum uric acid (SUA) were included. The mean change of SUA, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were calculated. Results After a literature search and detailed evaluation, a total of 11 RCTs were included for quantitative analysis to analyze the differences between the SGLT2I group and the control group. The results showed that SGLT2I significantly reduced SUA (MD = -0.56, 95% CI = -0.66 similar to -0.46, I-2 = 0%, P < 0.00001), HbA1c (MD = -0.20, 95% CI = -0.26 similar to -0.13, I-2 = 0%, P < 0.00001), and BMI (MD = -1.19, 95% CI = -1.84 similar to -0.55, I-2 = 0%, P = 0.0003). There was no significant difference in the reduction of eGFR observed in the SGLT2I group (MD = -1.60, 95% CI = -3.82 similar to 0.63, I-2 = 13%, P = 0.16). Conclusions These results showed that the SGLT2I group caused greater reductions in SUA, HbA1c, and BMI but had no effect on eGFR. These data suggested that SGLT2Is may have numerous potentially beneficial clinical effects in patients with abnormal glucose metabolism. However, these results need to be consolidated by further studies.